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Last March I decided we were spending too much inside the house and not enough time outside the house. I’m an introvert, so this doesn’t normally bother me, but I wanted to do more than just run errands or drop Sunshine off at her lessons when we left the house. I wanted us to hike and bike and kayak and explore the outdoors.
Our bikes need tuning up (and we’d have to load them up on the utility trailer and drive to a bike path in town) and the boys are too young to take out in kayaks just yet (soon though!), but hiking at a nearby park is easy to tackle.
So we started going on hikes on a somewhat weekly basis. We didn’t always go on a hike every week, but as time has passed we’ve become more consistent and have formed the habit of going for a weekly hike.
But forming new habits takes time and effort and intention.
In our case, we’ve had to change bad habits to good habits. In the years that I was very ill because of untreated celiac disease, I became quite sedentary. I didn’t have the energy to go hiking or to do much of anything, really. Since going gluten free eight years ago I’ve made lots of progress, but there’s still more I could be doing.
I walk and run on a fairly regular basis, but these days it’s usually on the treadmill in the basement rather than outside. The roads in our area are too narrow for me to safely run outside with kiddos in a stroller.
Hence the decision to institute our weekly hikes.
Here’s six things that helped us form the habit of going on a weekly hike.
1. Schedule It
Look at your schedule and decide when will be a good time for you. Ideally this will be the same time and day each week (or day or month, depending on your schedule and goals) since consistency makes it easier to form new habits. Write it in and don’t schedule anything else in that time slot. This is really what made the biggest difference for us- Thursday morning is our hiking time and we don’t schedule or do other things during that time.
2. Make Contingency Plans
How will you deal with bad weather? The multi-use park we frequented when we started hiking is closed when it rains or snows. At first wet weather would completely derail our hiking plans, but now we’ve found another nearby park that is only open to walkers and doesn’t have any wet weather restrictions so we can hike regardless of the weather.
3. Be Prepared
Proper clothing – layers, sturdy shoes, wet weather gear (Oakiwear trail suits are great for keeping the little ones dry), and so on – goes a long way towards keeping everyone comfortable and happy.
Snacks and water. Snacks can be a pick-me-up or a bribe, and water is essential for staying hydrated.
4. Keep It Enjoyable and Have a Good Attitude
If you’re excited to be outdoors it will be a lot easier for your kiddos to be excited as well. This also means jollying the kiddos along as needed with treats, songs, or distractions (I like pointing out interesting trees or plants, or asking them to look for a specific item).
5. Don’t Push Too Hard Too Fast
Especially if you have young children or they’re resistant to the idea of being more active. Young children will need to build up their endurance. Resistant children will need to find the joy in being outside. Maybe hiking isn’t their thing, but they love biking or kayaking. Help them find what they enjoy.
6. Don’t Stress If You’re Not Perfect
Weather won’t always cooperate, illness will strike, children (or their parents) will be out of sorts, and sometimes the hike or outing doesn’t happen. It’s ok. If your schedule allows, reschedule for another time. If not, resolve to go for a hike next week and identify what needs to change to make sure that will happen.
I mention these in connection with hiking, but they apply to other activities as well: skiing, biking, climbing, kayaking, etc.
Do you have any tips to add to this list?
